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18 March 2021 | Story Leonie Bolleurs
Famelab
Abdullahi Jamiu, who is working on his master's degree in Microbiology, was adjudicated as the FameLab winner at the Central Regional Heat and will represent the region at the national semi-finals.

Abdullahi Jamiu, who is working on his master's degree in Microbiology in the Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry at the University of the Free State (UFS), was recently announced as the FameLab winner at the Central Regional Heat and will represent the region at the national semi-finals.

Abdullahi, who plans on pursuing a doctoral degree after his master’s, says he wants to establish himself as an academic in microbiology.

Making science simple
He says he decided to participate in the FameLab competition because he is very passionate about communicating science. “Science communication affords me the opportunity to not only take my research outside of the lab space, but also to communicate it to the lay audience. Moreover, science is often perceived by the general public as difficult and unfathomable. As such, science communication programmes promote the simplification and better understanding of scientific knowledge in the community,” he says.

FameLab is coordinated by the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement, the British Council, and Jive Media Africa.

According to Abdullahi, the experience was mind-blowing. “It gave me the opportunity to compress my 200-page master's thesis into a three-minute talk in a way I had never thought was possible. Having to present virtually and adjust to the ‘new normal’ was quite challenging,” he adds.

“The overall experience was enlightening and engaging, and at the same time entertaining,” says Abdullahi.

Impressing the judges with his charisma, engagement with the audience, and use of props, Abdullahi’s presentation focused on how the exploration and exploitation of a ‘combination therapy’ approach to drug discovery could help to effectively combat fungal infections, which are the common comorbidities in immune-compromised individuals, including those living with HIV, cancer, and COVID-19.

Revealing an enigma
His fascination with microbiology started at a young age. “How very tiny, microscopic creatures, invisible to the unaided eye, are able to infect and sometimes kill both healthy and immune-compromised individuals, was an enigma to me as a little boy. My desire to unravel this mystery triggered my interest in microbiology, and the more I learn, the more enthusiastic I become to broaden my horizon in this challenging yet exciting field of study,” he says.

Abdullahi would like to one day make a difference by conducting relevant research aimed at contributing to finding lasting solutions to the lingering menace posed by pathogenic microbes. “Moreover, I am very passionate about facilitating the transfer of scientific knowledge to the next generation,” Abdullahi concludes.

News Archive

Architecture rewards talent
2016-11-25

Description: "Architecture Corobrik Tags: Architecture Corobrik

Lana Bramley (winner), Petru du Toit (second place),
Sinjon Moffett (third place), and Nina Nel
(best use of brick in a design) were
winners at the Corobrik Architecture
Student of the Year competition.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs

During the recent announcement of the Corobrik Architecture Student of the Year, Lana Bramley was named regional winner in the Free State. Bramley is currently a master’s degree student in the Department of Architecture at the University of the Free State (UFS).

For her dissertation, she examined the design of an art gallery as a liminal architectural intervention, questioning the rigid boundaries of the UFS Campus. Bramley obtained distinctions for her Architecture dissertation, Design dissertation, and for Construction.

Bramley will join Roodt Architects next year.

The following students were also named winners in this year’s regional competition:

  • Best use of brick in a design: Nina Nel
  • Second place in the Corobrik Architectural student of the year competition (regional): Petru du Toit
  • Third place in the Corobrik Architectural student of the year competition (regional): Sinjon Moffett

From the master’s class, a total of 27 students obtained distinctions (nine for Design dissertation, 12 for Construction and six for Architecture dissertation). Prof Jan Smit and Henry Pretorius, Head of the Department of Architecture, awarded two prizes respectively to the best Technical Design student, Janrie Haarhoff, and the best Architecture dissertation student, Petru du Toit.

Musa Shangase, Commercial Director of Corobrik, congratulated students on the quality of their work. It is the 30th year this competition has been presented by Corobrik, a company that is 114 years old, to encourage talent in this profession. The national winner is expected to be announced in May 2017. 

 

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